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The biggest satisfaction this year for me this season has been watching the passing skills of Brad Nelson. The Assistants at SDSU have said in private conversations that they had high hopes for Brad Nelsons skills at QB and they have been right on those statements.
From understudy to the leading man
Chris Solari
Argus Leader
published: 11/15/2003
SDSU's Nelson passes his way into school record book
BROOKINGS - Brad Nelson, frosty breath emanating from his facemask, stepped to the line with history in sight. Already lighting up Augustana's secondary, he needed just three yards to become South Dakota State's single-season passing leader.
It's the situation no quarterback expects, but every one dreams about. How it came to fruition, though, is the way every quarterback should go into the record books.
Midway through last Saturday's third quarter at frigid Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, Nelson dropped back with a play-action fake that froze the Vikings' defense to the already-icy ground. As he looked downfield, Josh Davis broke free of the defensive backs. Nelson flung his pass and hit Davis in stride.
Just like that, a 57-yard touchdown and the school record. How's that for some style points?
"I didn't even know that was the play that it got broken on. That was a good play to do it on, I guess," Nelson says with a sheepish smile, mixing schoolboy charm and innocence with the unmistakable swagger of a quarterback.
"That wasn't my goal coming into the season, to try to break the single-season record. I was just trying to be the best player I could be."
That's precisely what Nelson's done since toting the clipboard and relaying signals to Dan Fjeldheim for most of the last two seasons. Entering this year, Nelson had thrown only three passes, completing two of them.
But he got good training as an understudy, watching how the feisty Fjeldheim fired up his team and studied football's nuances.
"Dan was a real gritty guy, a great competitor," offensive coordinator Eric Eidsness says. "To learn from him and to be able to look at him, that was a great role model for Brad to have."
Not much was known about the lanky redhead from Winona, Minn., before the Jacks' first game against Northwest Missouri State. Coaches talked up Nelson's ability to throw downfield. But following in the shadows of Fjeldheim, who skillfully directed the Jackrabbits' conservative pass-first offense the previous two seasons, was sure to be difficult.
After that first game, Nelson quickly made fans forget Fjeldheim. He passed for 306 yards in SDSU's 20-0 dominating win.
"Brad has a stronger arm, and he does some things differently than Dan did," Eidsness says. "They're different, but yet they're very similar in makeup."
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Nelson has 2,811 yards, nearly 100 better than the old record set by Todd McDonald in 1993. Today against Humboldt State, in the Jackrabbits' last game at the Division II level, Nelson will have one more chance to pile on a few more yards.
Throughout, he's exhibited a relatively laid-back leadership and exuded unwavering confidence that raises the level of his teammates.
"No one can give him his poise," SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said. "That's something that he has started with and added to every play. It seems like a heartbeat ago we were talking about the Northwest Missouri game, and that was 10 games ago. He's gotten better every week."
Nelson has four 300-yard games and 23 touchdown passes against just five interceptions. He's dominated the North Central Conference passing ranks, besting numbers put up by St. Cloud State's Keith Heckendorf, a senior who was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award last season.
Entering the last week of the regular season, Nelson leads the league in both yards-per-game (281.1) and efficiency (163.3 QB rating). He's completed 65.5 percent of his passes (201-for-307).
Since having a pass tipped and picked off in a gut-wrenching 25-24 loss to NCC champion North Dakota on Oct. 11, Nelson has thrown 110 straight passes without an interception and directed SDSU to four straight victories.
Voting for the Harlon Hill Award, which goes to the top player in Division II football, ended just before Nelson hit his stride. Nelson was omitted from the regional ballot. Both Eidsness and Stiegelmeier say he should have been on it. Heckendorf was again recognized.
"He's not deserving yet of being a top guy," Stiegelmeier said of Nelson, "but he's very deserving of being a regional finalist."
From understudy to the leading man
Chris Solari
Argus Leader
published: 11/15/2003
SDSU's Nelson passes his way into school record book
BROOKINGS - Brad Nelson, frosty breath emanating from his facemask, stepped to the line with history in sight. Already lighting up Augustana's secondary, he needed just three yards to become South Dakota State's single-season passing leader.
It's the situation no quarterback expects, but every one dreams about. How it came to fruition, though, is the way every quarterback should go into the record books.
Midway through last Saturday's third quarter at frigid Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, Nelson dropped back with a play-action fake that froze the Vikings' defense to the already-icy ground. As he looked downfield, Josh Davis broke free of the defensive backs. Nelson flung his pass and hit Davis in stride.
Just like that, a 57-yard touchdown and the school record. How's that for some style points?
"I didn't even know that was the play that it got broken on. That was a good play to do it on, I guess," Nelson says with a sheepish smile, mixing schoolboy charm and innocence with the unmistakable swagger of a quarterback.
"That wasn't my goal coming into the season, to try to break the single-season record. I was just trying to be the best player I could be."
That's precisely what Nelson's done since toting the clipboard and relaying signals to Dan Fjeldheim for most of the last two seasons. Entering this year, Nelson had thrown only three passes, completing two of them.
But he got good training as an understudy, watching how the feisty Fjeldheim fired up his team and studied football's nuances.
"Dan was a real gritty guy, a great competitor," offensive coordinator Eric Eidsness says. "To learn from him and to be able to look at him, that was a great role model for Brad to have."
Not much was known about the lanky redhead from Winona, Minn., before the Jacks' first game against Northwest Missouri State. Coaches talked up Nelson's ability to throw downfield. But following in the shadows of Fjeldheim, who skillfully directed the Jackrabbits' conservative pass-first offense the previous two seasons, was sure to be difficult.
After that first game, Nelson quickly made fans forget Fjeldheim. He passed for 306 yards in SDSU's 20-0 dominating win.
"Brad has a stronger arm, and he does some things differently than Dan did," Eidsness says. "They're different, but yet they're very similar in makeup."
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Nelson has 2,811 yards, nearly 100 better than the old record set by Todd McDonald in 1993. Today against Humboldt State, in the Jackrabbits' last game at the Division II level, Nelson will have one more chance to pile on a few more yards.
Throughout, he's exhibited a relatively laid-back leadership and exuded unwavering confidence that raises the level of his teammates.
"No one can give him his poise," SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said. "That's something that he has started with and added to every play. It seems like a heartbeat ago we were talking about the Northwest Missouri game, and that was 10 games ago. He's gotten better every week."
Nelson has four 300-yard games and 23 touchdown passes against just five interceptions. He's dominated the North Central Conference passing ranks, besting numbers put up by St. Cloud State's Keith Heckendorf, a senior who was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Award last season.
Entering the last week of the regular season, Nelson leads the league in both yards-per-game (281.1) and efficiency (163.3 QB rating). He's completed 65.5 percent of his passes (201-for-307).
Since having a pass tipped and picked off in a gut-wrenching 25-24 loss to NCC champion North Dakota on Oct. 11, Nelson has thrown 110 straight passes without an interception and directed SDSU to four straight victories.
Voting for the Harlon Hill Award, which goes to the top player in Division II football, ended just before Nelson hit his stride. Nelson was omitted from the regional ballot. Both Eidsness and Stiegelmeier say he should have been on it. Heckendorf was again recognized.
"He's not deserving yet of being a top guy," Stiegelmeier said of Nelson, "but he's very deserving of being a regional finalist."
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